Peter R. D’Agostino, an associate professor of history and Catholic Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is the author of Rome in America (University of North Carolina Press). Get Commonweal’s latest, delivered twice weekly. Email address Published in the 2004-12-17 issue: View Contents Recommended for you A Presidential Smash and Grab By The Editors May 21, 2026 ‘As an Emerald Is Green’ By Ellen Wayland-Smith May 25, 2026 ‘The Real Thing’ By Anthony Domestico May 19, 2026